coastal cycling in East Lothian, Scotland and related outdoor interests

Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Into September...Autumn harvest scenery, Big eBay clearout, future work?, Time to make plans...

My favourite month in East Lothian,
While often warm during the day and big skies it usually gets cooler in the mornings and evenings as Autumn kicks in with damp dew covered mornings and longer shadows at dawn and dusk.
Harvest came early this year, 3/4 of Barley and now Wheat fields are harvested and those that are not being bailed are not long in being disc harrowed or ploughed in...
Some pics this morning as i cycled into work...

Into work today on the old Muddy Fox Courier, that means i`m hauling stuff in panniers... err yep!.
Been having a massive clear out and basically selling all non needed bikes, bike parts and outdoor gear i do not use...
Sold loads already and stuff is selling daily on eBay, My local Post Office is loving the business!
Here is some of the stuff still to sell...

The old 1986 Muddy Fox Courier can still earn it`s bread as a Courier, with its old school long chain stays it handles fine with loaded panniers of bike parts, and there is loads of heel clearance from the panniers, unlike with modern Mountain bikes...

Haul more stuff;
This bike would be an ideal candidate for an Extra Cycle FreeRadical kit, what is that you ask?,
It`s a bolt on cargo bike extension for your regular bike. allowing you to transport loads of stuff,
You can buy a kit here in the uk at Practical Cycles; Linky

A neat invention-one less car :)

Another film; selling the lifestyle nicely

Meanwhile at work...
Still don`t know whats happening at my work and things do not look promising as nothing is getting spent and the place is looking real shabby, but got to give the benefit of the doubt and October is supposed to be the start date of everything,
But meanwhile we are working illegally every day with no health and safety in place on the shop floor,
We have no PPE work clothes, including waterproofs, hell i do not even have a pair of steel toe cap boots FFS!, We feel like the Burma Army-the forgotten Greenkeepers!, Moral is pretty low in the squad...
Things are turning into a bit of a joke with no essential seasonal maintenance being done to the golf course.
For myself this is the worrying thing as essential work like aeration not done can have repercussions that can take years to put right, esp with the unpredictable weather nowadays, and it is starting to show on the golf course. And now members are starting to vote with their feet...

I just do what i can do and get the hours in, it is all i can do, that and keep soaking up the great views...

I`m making plans for my own future and doing some further training to do some part time weekend work as i cannot afford to live on the wage i get that has not had a pay rise in 5 years...

I`m keeping the 3 fatbikes, The Surly Cross-Check which will soon get gears and become my drop bar road bike, the Drop bar 29er Surly Karate Monkey and the On One MTB, along with the old 1985 Muddy Fox Courier, everything else is going to fund future plans, that includes the Genesis Cdf...

If you want anything done, sometimes you got to do it yourself... a year from now i will have a good job again, here or somewhere else...

Got some film from last Saturdays xc harvest stubble ride with friends i have still to edit into a film, will post that up soon...

This song sums some things up...i do not paid enough to get `stressed at work` lol :)

2 comments:

I've been reading and enjoying your blog for the past several months having come across it on Guitar Ted's website. I live in southwest Missouri U.S.A. and relate to your rural riding and harvest experiences. Sorry to read of your difficulties; hope things will work out for the best for you and Mowgli.

About Me

I live in East Lothian, S.E. Scotland.
I fill my time with my hobbies, interests and passions. Often cycling along the coast here. I like to enjoy all interests of the coast, Its scenery, wildlife, local history, with my other interests in art and music when out and about...
Please excuse the bad grammar, i am working on it!
email; coastkid71 AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk